Healing Reunion
by MickeyG
Summary: After an accident, Doug and Carol are reunited. But will they be able to stay together forever? Chap. 2 now up!
1. Chapter One

A/N- This story takes place before Carol left, during the time she and Luka were sort of seeing each other. It begins where the Season 6 episode "Viable Options" left off. I wrote it almost two years ago, when Mark did not have cancer. So the story is not intended to be a rip-off. None of these characters belong to me. They belong to the ER people, as I like to call them. This was my first ER fanfic, so be kind in your reviews, please.  
  
"Oh Luka, you must be freezing. I'll go get you a sweater." Carol Hathaway turned to go inside her small house.  
  
"Carol, I don't think any of your sweaters will fit me."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'll find something."  
  
Carol went quickly up the stairs to her room to find something to give her friend to stay warm. 'This is unbelievable' she thought. 'It's April and snow just started coming down.' She turned and started searching through her dresser drawers to find a blanket. As she pulled open the top drawer, a large gray sweater caught her eye. She pulled it out and held it up. 'This should just about fit Luka. Funny, I never noticed this before. Doug must have left it here on his last visit. But that was three months ago. It must be a lot warmer in Seattle.'  
  
Carol sat down on her bed and thought about the last time she saw Doug. He had been visiting regularly to see their twin daughters, Kate and Tess. But the last time he came, something was different about him. He was still very comfortable with the girls, but whenever she tried to talk to him, he came up with some excuse why he couldn't talk just then. He had to run an errand or wasn't feeling well. Carol was hurt and called him down on it. He avoided the subject and they got into a big fight. Doug stormed out angrily and she hadn't seen him since. He hadn't even returned her calls. She was beginning to think that he had met someone in Seattle and didn't want her to know about it. 'Well,' Carol thought, 'she can have him, whoever she is. I'm not going to let his problems run my life anymore.' She got up from the bed and headed downstairs. Halfway down, one of her daughters started to wail, startling her. She lost her balance and tumbled down the stairs, too surprised to let out a sound.  
  
Dr. Luka Kovac, Carol's coworker and good friend, was standing outside, grilling burgers while the snow was falling faster and faster. He stomped his feet and crossed his arms, trying to keep warm. 'Where is Carol with that sweater? She should be back by now.' Just then, he faintly heard the crying of one of Carol's twin daughters. 'That must be what's keeping her. Those girls keep her busy all the time. I don't know how she has the energy to care for them and work.' While he was wondering, the snow began falling so heavily he decided to go inside and tell Carol that maybe they should try the barbecue some other time. He walked inside and was horrified to find Carol lying in an unconscious heap at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Carol! Wake up!" he yelled as he ran into the living room to call 911. The ambulance arrived in five minutes. Luka ran outside to bring the paramedics up to speed. "This is Carol Hathaway. She's a nurse at County General. She fell down the stairs. She has a strong pulse and good breath sounds but she isn't responsive. She may have some head injuries. Be careful, don't move her neck. Carol, wake up!" The paramedics got Carol on a board and got a c-collar on her. One turned to a frantic Luka. "Sir? Sir! Are you her husband?" "What? No, I'm Dr. Luka Kovac, her coworker. Take her to County. I'll be there soon, I have to get the girls." He turned to go to the nursery and then spun back around and grabbed one of the paramedics by the arm. "You take good care of her."  
  
The paramedics rushed Carol out to their rig and sped away, sirens screaming. Luka went upstairs, dressed the babies in their coats, and buckled their carseats into his car. He went straight to the hospital, rushing through the emergency room doors. The first person he saw was Kerry Weaver. "Where's Carol? Is she still unconscious? Who's her doctor?"  
  
"Now, calm down, Luka, she's gone upstairs to have a CT. Mark and Elizabeth are with her. She hasn't woken up but she doesn't seem to have any injuries except a broken humerus. Are these her girls?" Kerry replied, trying to reassure the very worried man. "Why don't we take these girls up to the daycare? Then you can see Carol for yourself." Just then Mark Greene came down the hall, looking very concerned. Luka ran towards him, still holding Kate and Tess. "Mark, thank goodness. How is she? What did the CT show?"  
  
Mark ran a hand over his head and sighed. "Well, it could be worse. Her brain is pretty swollen and she hasn't woken up yet, which is a bad sign. We won't know the extent of her brain injuries until the swelling goes down. We are getting her a bed in the ICU. Her vitals are good, and her arm is being set right now. Luka, do you have her mother's phone number? We need to call her and let her know so she can come and take the girls."  
  
Luka slowly let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Yeah, sure, Mark, hang on. Here, take Kate for a minute, will you. She's still fussy, probably hungry." He searched his wallet for a moment, "Ah-ha. Here it is. 846-9829. I'll go call her if you want."  
  
"No, that's okay Luka. I'll call her. I need to make another call too." Mark and Kerry exchanged glances. "Okay. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the lounge. I need to sit down for a minute." Luka left, running his hand through his hair. When he reached the lounge, he realized he was still holding Tess. She had fallen sound asleep. 'Unbelievable,' he thought. 'All this going on and she's gone to sleep.'  
  
Carter was sitting at the table eating a hot dog when Luka walked into the lounge. He looked up, surprised. "Luka what are you doing here? I thought you just got off." "I did, but Carol had an accident so I came to-" "An accident! What happened?" "She fell down the stairs and hit her head pretty hard. Mark says she has swelling of her brain and she's been unconscious since it happened. Her mother should be here soon to take the girls."  
  
Just then Dave Malucci and Jing Mei Chen walked into the lounge, arguing over whether or not Carol had been admitted when they saw Luka sitting on the chair. They both stopped short. "Hey, Luka. Did I overhear that Carol had some kind of an accident?" Dave asked. Luka looked up. "Yeah, she fell down her stairs." Dave grinned and turned to Jing-Mei. "See, I told you I heard Mark on the phone tell someone Carol was hurt," he said triumphantly. "Malucci! How incredibly shallow can you be? Carol's hurt and you're just happy you were right and I was wrong," Jing-Mei snapped. "How is she, Luka?"  
  
"Her brain is swollen and they won't know much about how badly she's hurt until the swelling goes down. She's been unconscious for almost an hour. Also, her left humerus is broken." Mark interrupted the explanation by coming into the room with more news. "Luka, why don't you come up to the ICU with me. We need to talk." Luka jumped up and followed Mark to the elevator. When they got inside, Luka asked, "What is it? Did she wake up yet?" "No, Luka, she's not awake but the swelling is starting to go down a little bit. She looks a little beat up because of the bruises she got during the fall. You can see her but only for a minute. Her mother should be here any time now."  
  
Mark paused briefly. "Luka, I don't know what she's told you about Kate and Tess' father. His name is Doug Ross, and he was a pediatrician here for several years. Now he lives in Seattle and practices there. He used to visit regularly to see the girls, but Carol hasn't heard from him in three months. I called him to let him know what happened, but I got his machine. He hasn't talked to me lately either, but I felt he should know that Carol was hurt. If I know Doug, he should be here as soon as he can. I don't know if you really needed all that information, but I know how you feel about Carol, and I wanted you to know about Doug. He still loves her very much and I don't want you to be hurt."  
  
Luka was stunned. Carol had never told him anything about the baby's father. He had never pressed, assuming whoever he was, he had abandoned her and the girls. He had never expected to meet the man who got her pregnant and then just left her alone. He closed his eyes, his mind whirling from all that had happened in such a short time. "Well, thank you for telling me, Mark. But I can't understand how you can say a man who hasn't talked to her for months can still love her. He sounds like a real jerk to me. Do you know why he hasn't called her?"  
  
Mark looked Luka straight in the eyes, "You don't know Doug like I do. He has a good reason for not contacting her. I know that reason and I understand. He does still love her, which is why he hasn't contacted her. He doesn't want her to give up her job and life here because she feels she should be with him. Luka, Doug has had a lot of problems in his life and he doesn't want her to deal with them anymore. He's doing the right thing, so don't take your anger out on him. Be rational. He has enough on his mind right now. Now go in there and see Carol. Talk to her, maybe your voice will bring her out of the coma. I have to go back downstairs, someone else may need my help. See you later." Luka stepped off the elevator and headed down the hall toward the ICU. 


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. Don't sue, I have no money anyway.  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
Doug Ross slowly climbed into his car and drew a ragged breath. He had just finished a round of treatments for cancer, and he felt as sick as he ever had in his life. His stomach was tossing like a ship at sea. He turned on the ignition and headed for home, intending to fall into bed and have a long nap. When he got home there was a message on his machine. It was from his best friend, Mark Greene, and he sounded unusually worried. Doug's expression became shocked as he listened to his friend's message. "Hey, Doug, it's Mark. Listen, I have some bad news. Carol has had an accident and she's in the hospital. She fell down her stairs at home, and she's in a coma right now. Her arm is broken, and she's pretty banged up, but we're mostly worried about all the swelling of her brain. I know you didn't want her to find out about your illness, but I think you should come and be with her. She'll want you here when she wakes up. Her mother is taking care of the girls. Well, that's about it. See you soon, Doug. Bye."  
  
Doug slumped tiredly on the sofa, shock erasing all the nausea he had been feeling earlier. 'Carol, hurt? I have to go to her. But what if she wakes up and sees me looking like this? She'll know I am sick. Oh, Carol, I didn't want to hurt you, but you have a life in Chicago. I want you to be with me by choice, not because you feel obligated to care for me. I miss you and my daughters. Don't worry, Carol, I'm coming.' He pulled himself off the couch and headed to his bedroom to pack for the long journey ahead of him. He got to his room, and got ready to leave, then collapsed on the bed to rest, just for a moment.  
  
The next morning, as the sun came shining through the curtains, Doug rolled over in bed and groaned. He felt like he had been trampled by a bull. He got up and went to the bathroom. As he splashed water on his face, he looked into the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot and he realized he had gone to bed in his clothes again. Suddenly the message he had received the previous day came back to him. "Carol!" he gasped. He walked quickly into the bedroom and changed clothes and then grabbed his suitcase and a jacket. He went out to his car and quickly pulled out of the driveway and took off down the road toward the airport.  
  
After he got on the plane to take him to Chicago, he leaned back in his seat and let his thoughts wander to the last time he had spoken to her. She had been concerned because he was avoiding her. He didn't want her to see how bad he sometimes felt and how tired he always was. He was harsh with her and she was hurt. They got into a huge fight, and he ended up storming out in anger. He regretted it almost immediately, but had decided maybe this was the best way to break off the relationship. He still loved her, but he couldn't stand seeing the pain in her confused eyes anymore. Doug was so exhausted that he fell asleep and didn't wake up until the plane touched down in Chicago and the stewardess gently shook him awake.  
  
He drove to the nearest hotel and got a room for the night. Once he was settled in, he drove to the hospital. When he pulled into the parking lot, he realized how hungry he was. He walked across the street to Doc Magoo's to grab a bite to eat. When he walked in, he was surprised to see that the restaurant was nearly empty. The only customer he could see was a man sitting on a stool at the counter, holding a Pepsi and wearing a white lab coat. The man was dark-skinned and had very black hair. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. Doug sat down next to him and nodded a greeting. The man looked up. "Hi, I don't think I've seen you here before." He had a heavy accent, maybe Romanian or Croatian.  
  
Doug half-smiled. "No, I haven't been here in a long time. Do you work in the hospital across the street?" "Yes, how did you know?" Doug indicated the lab coat the man was wearing. "I used to work in the hospital. I was a pediatrician in the ER. Do you know Mark Greene? He's a friend of mine. He called me yesterday to let me know a mutual friend of ours had an accident. Her name is Carol Hathaway, she's a nurse in the ER, maybe you know her?" The man's head jerked up quickly. "Yes, I know her. You must be Doug Ross. I'm Luka Kovac, and I work in the ER. Mark told me you would probably be coming to see Carol." Doug turned to the man. "How is Carol doing? Is she still in the coma? What about Kate and Tess?" Luka's eyes darkened angrily at the mention of the twins. "Maybe you should go over to the hospital to find out those things. I'm on in four hours and I need to go home and get some rest. See you later." Luka got up abruptly and went out the door.  
  
Doug shook his head in confusion at the man's anger and finished his sandwich. He paid his bill and started over to the hospital. His first stop was the emergency room where he had worked for so long. When he walked into the building, the familiar sights and sounds made him smile. Since he was diagnosed with cancer, the only time he had spent in a hospital was as a patient. The doctors had told him that they had caught it early, and he could benefit from anticancer treatments. That was 3 1/2 months ago. The treatments had made him sick and he had lost all his hair, forcing him to wear a baseball cap all the time. His white blood cell count was low, but it hadn't dropped any since the treatments had begun, which was a good sign. He was still very susceptible to diseases, which meant he didn't go out much except for treatments and the necessary trips to the store.  
  
He had barely gotten in the door before he was spotted by Kerry Weaver, the chief attending in the ER. She hurried over to him. "Doug! It's good to see you. I wish it were under better circumstances. I guess you want to see Carol. She's upstairs in Intensive Care. Hang on, I'll get Mark to go up with you; I think he's in the lounge with Elizabeth Corday. Mark!" she yelled as they walked in the direction of the lounge. Mark Greene stood up when they entered the room and walked over to his old friend. They both stood there for a minute, then Mark pulled Doug into a quick hug. "Hey, buddy, it's good to see you. How are you doing?" They let go of each other. "I've been better," he replied as he pulled the baseball cap off his bare head. Elizabeth and Kerry gasped in unison. Elizabeth laughed. "What did you do, Doug, shave your head?"  
  
He turned and looked her straight in the face. "Not exactly. I lost my hair because of the cancer treatments I've been having. I guess I must look pretty bad, I just had one yesterday." For the first time, the three doctors in the room noticed how pale and tired their old colleague looked. Both women were shocked into silence. Mark was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "Doug, you're probably eager to see Carol. Let's go upstairs." The two men left the room together, Mark's arm around Doug's slumped shoulders.  
  
On the ride in the elevator up to where Carol was lying, Doug turned to Mark. "You didn't tell anyone about my cancer? Why not?" Mark ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Well, you didn't want Carol to know. If I even told Kerry, somehow it would spread all over the ER. I know you wouldn't want her to find out from anyone else. Doug, when she wakes up, you should tell her. She thinks you've found some other woman in Seattle and don't want to see her or the girls anymore. She deserves better than that. Anyway, she'll know something is wrong. You aren't the type to suddenly shave your head." Doug laughed halfheartedly. "No, I guess not. I wonder what Mrs. Hathaway will say when she sees me. She never liked me in the first place." This time both men laughed and they continued on their way to see the woman they both cared about very much.  
  
When they arrived in the ICU, Mark stopped at the doorway, sensing his friend would need time alone with the woman he loved. Doug walked hesitantly to her bedside, and began to speak. "Hello, Carol. I don't know if you can hear me, but it's Doug. I've missed you. I'm sorry for how I've treated you lately. I never wanted to hurt you, and I didn't want you to think that I found someone new. You're the only woman I've ever truly loved. Please, Carol, wake up. I need you. Kate and Tess need you. I-." Doug stopped, no longer able to hold back the tears. He just stood there, holding her hand, letting the tears fall. He didn't notice her blink, or when her eyes slowly opened. "Doug. Doug!" Slowly her voice broke through to him. He opened his eyes and she stared up at him. "What are you doing here? What happened?" Doug smiled through his tears. "You're awake. Mark! She's awake! Don't worry, Carol, everything's fine now. I love you." She smiled, "I love you too." Then she drifted off to sleep.  
  
A/N- Sorry for the delay. I will try to get the next chapter up sooner. Please, please review. Even if it is a flame. I need to know people are reading my work. Thanks to those of you who did review the first chapter. 


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